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Friday, August 7, 2009

Basic Health Hawaii not good enough

Congressman Neil Abercrombie joined state legislators at the Capitol Friday, August 7 to rally against the governor's new medical plan that will be offered to 7,500 Pacific islanders in lieu of its Quest insurance program.

The plan, Basic Health Hawaii, starting September 1, will cover up to 12 outpatient doctor visits, ten hospital days, six mental health visits, and five generic prescription drugs a month.

The services it does not cover are what concerns lawmakers, health center officials and patients.

These patients, who originate from Chuuk, Palau, the Marshall islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia, will not receive preventive care such as regular dialysis and chemotherapy treatments.

Without preventive care, the governor is putting people's lives in danger said Rep. John Mizuno.Patients with kidney disease would only be able to receive dialysis treatment at an emergency room when their conditions become critical.

In addition, lawmakers are worried about the cost hospitals will absorb when emergency rooms become flooded with Basic Health Hawaii patients. Community health centers will continue to service patients, but they will not be reimbursed. The cost of an emergency room visit is almost three times the cost of a regular dialysis treatment.

Lawmakers and community members are urging Gov. Linda Lingle to release $12 million in general funds to secure federal matching medicaid funds (SB 423), which can be used to cover dialysis and chemotherapy treatments for all those under the Basic Health Hawaii plan.

To Whom It May Concern: My name is Keola Diaz and I am a graduate student here at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I am currently working on a thesis project that will include a video documentary about Micronesian migrants facing hardships due to inaccessibility to affordable healthcare in Hawaii. This documentary is very important for the Micronesian communities in the United States in that it will help local residents understand firstly, what it is that allows them to migrate freely to the U.S. and what they offer in return for that privilege and secondly, how they are being affected by U.S. policy. As I have been working on my video project, I have also been looking for relevant still images that would complement the narrative portions of my film. Your posted photo(s) on the webpage are very relevant to my project would like to ask if I could have your permission to use them. If you allow me the privilege of using your photo(s), I assure you that I will use them strictly for educational purposes with no intent for profit. I also ensure that you will be recognized as a contributor and credited as such.Most importantly, I will post a disclaimer that your permission to use the photo(s) does not in any way reflect you or your organization’s views on the subject matter. I very much hope that your decision will be favorable to my request and I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you very much for your time and have a wonderful day.